Welcome to the book blitz for HANDS OF THE COLOSSUS, the second book in the adult science fiction/steampunk series, Holly Drake Job, by Nicole Grotepas. See below for information on the book and series, buy links, an exclusive excerpt, and details on her giveaway.

Holly Drake just wants a simple thing–to destroy the Shadow Coalition and the evil at the heart of their business. Using tip-offs from the secretive government official pulling her strings, Holly and her crew swoop in, break up the cash drops and steal the money. If one or two baddies die on accident, no big loss. Right? Holly could do this forever, picking the Coalition apart till not even bones remain.

Until someone goes missing. In that moment, everything changes.

To save the victim, Holly and her team will put everything on the line to penetrate the mysterious Shadow Coalition and stab at their enigmatic leadership: the Hands who protect the Heart. Treacherous journeys across the 6-moon system in space-zeppelins, dangerous infiltrations of the Coalition, bartering with thieves, and relying on the seedy underbelly of the 6-moons. Anything it takes.

But … is the whole set up a trap? How many snares will Holly and her crew have to spring to the save just one victim?

This is Holly Drake and her crew of thieves. If they have to, they’ll go into the hornet’s nest to get the job done. But will it be their final job?

The Hands of the Colossus features a snarky, strong, bad ass heroine fighting against the odds to save the helpless.

If you don’t like seeing a woman experience self-doubt, overcome obstacles, and then dominate, this book is not for you.

Excerpt #2They’d been planning for a trap. It was something Holly thought would always be wise—knowing that your plan might come up against a carefully executed snare that was so subtle, it couldn’t be seen.

And still, her guts roiled and boiled as they waited for the drop to begin. Charly and Odeon had scouted the exterior of the warehouse, which was carved from the rock just like everything else. But unlike the hotels and the canyon towers of commerce, the warehouse had multiple entries along the tall building where flying ships landed and loaded cargo in or out. The drop was set to happen on the top level of the tower. Charly and Odeon had set up two entry points for them, one from the north side and the other from the south side. The thought was that the suppliers who were coming for their money would enter through the canyon facing entrance.

Shiro and Holly crouched out of sight on the balcony of the tower top facing the warehouse. Their timer counted down to the moment the drop was scheduled.

“Should be happening now,” Charly’s scratchy voice said in Holly’s ear. “You guys all ready for this? It’s gonna be a fucking party.”

“Get on your ziplines now,” Odeon said. They’d set the system up to cross the gap between the buildings.

“Ok, Shiro, you go first,” Holly muttered, feeling her stomach plummet at the thought of crossing the gap.

“Ladies first,” Shiro said. “You’re not afraid are you, Ms. Drake?”

Those were the magic words. She had been afraid. But now that Shiro caught her, she couldn’t very well admit that.

“Hardly. I wanted to make sure you got across without a problem. It’s fine. I’ll go first.”

“When a lady says, ‘it’s fine,’ it never is.”

“But it is. Look I’m going.”

“Masks on,” Shiro said.

Holly yanked hers down over her eyes, nose, and mouth, and then jumped onto the zipline, taking it in one movement so that she couldn’t change her mind. The winds ripped through her hair. She lifted her legs and traversed the distance. Though it was rather narrow, it seemed to take forever. Her abdomen muscles burned. Her shoulders ached, and then she was there, on the platform. She dropped and pulled the zip tool off. Shiro landed beside her, holding his cane between his teeth.

“Ow.” He pulled it out as he landed. “This cane was not made to hold in my mouth.”

He flexed his jaw repeatedly.

“Oh believe me, I know what you mean,” Holly said drily. There it was—his blush. She’d wanted that. Had worked hard for it. She laughed.

About the AuthorI’m passionate about human rights, animal rights, and living life with no regrets. I love how becoming a parent has deepened my devotion to making the world a better place. I do that best by crafting stories that attempt to answer hard questions–the ones I think about most–while also being entertaining and fun. I live in a landscape that reminds me of my place in the universe, under an endless sky and towering mountains that are older than human memory, and I love it here.